News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-10-06
An Awkward Interview.

''Yoa will-cr-stay and-and meet
Mr.. Rochdaie, my dear, will you not 2
Nv IL, no, papa, replied Edith Las
celleS, In a melitative fashion, 81 don't
think [ will. You sec, my position is 4
peculiar one. [ have no hesitation il
saying l find it disagreeable one also.
| suppose if were like heroine of TO,
nance | should feel wild excitement
and strange thrill, etc, etc, at meet
ing the man who is to be my husband.
but who is utterly unknown to me; but
not being heroine at all, these feel
ings are wanting"
''Of course, my DEAR" Mr. Lascelles
observed, trihe nervously. "you know
you can refuse him if you like, but you
are SO sensible, and"
''Yes, cut in the girl decisively, 'sand
L shall lose five tn Ousand year. sha'n't
[? Well, [ tell you faHy, papa, l shall
lose the five thousand most certainly if
I don't like the man.
Then You intend TO let the money
snf-rrorf. you altogether In plain
words you refuse.
Edith shook her head
Il never do anything in a hurry she
determi ned, and a glance at her pretty,
firm mouth bore testimony to her words ;
''but you did not tell me, papa, what
induced Aunt Maria to choose this Mr..
Rochdale more than any other person. 3"
''She was in love with his fnther years
ago. At least, [ believe so, my dear,
and So
81 understand Edith's lip curled
in a sneer; delightfully."- sentimental
and deplorably vulgar
Two days later Edith fonnd herself
ensconced in the suggest corner of
pretty Mrs. Dalton's 0rawing-room.
She was very fond of Lucy; they had
been firm friends in their childish days,
and Mrs Dalton had the greatest re-
spect for the tall, handsome girl who
was so far her superior in brains. The
last time they had met had been in
Paris, when Edith was introduced to
Lucy's husband, one of the kindest-
hearted men in the world-a dTysalter,
or a sOapboiler, or some such mysteri-
Gus and consequently wealthy person
and to the golden-haired child, the very
image of her mother and the idol of the
household.
''You are looking pale, Lucy" Edith
remarked, as she stitched vigorously at
her work-she was never idle a moment.
Lucy suddenly balied the suggestion
by cOloring wildly, almost painfully.
81 am very well, dear, she answered;
and Edith's quick ear caught the faint
est trace of annoyance in the pretty
voice.
She ponde,ad a little over this, and
by and by Mrs. Dalton rose hurriedly.
"You won't mind, Edith, if [ leave
YOU for half an hour, will youl I must
go to Dents; they have not sent home
the things I ordered"
sLet me &C" Edith put down her
work. "You know You have been out
this morning, and Herbert does not like
to see you tired when he comes homo. >
"Oh, the drive won't hurt me, and /
would rather go myself, the people are
so stupid. l know you won't be dull;
there is a pile of new books, and baby
will come down if yOu would care to
have her.
Edith stared at the fire when alone
'If it was not too absurd, she said to
herself, as she recalled the nervousness
and haste with which her friend had
spoken, 81 should imagine that Lucy
did not care about my being with her
Just now. She made me very welcom >,
certainly; but she seems changed, and L
don't know exactly where or how! Per-
haps she is i'll. She may say what she
likes, but she looks wretched. If so, L
am very glad have come. She Is an
emotional creature, and wOubd probably
have become wretched and depressed
while Herbert is away.
Just about o'clock Mrs. Dalton re
turned.
SIS Herbert inl" she asked as she
threw off her mantle and united her bon
net-strings. There was the faintest
flush on either cheek that might have
been caused by the autumual wind, but
seemed to rise from suppressed excite
ment
Decidedly, Lucy is ILL.,, Edith de
termined, as she replied in the negative;
but she said nothing, only resolved that
during Mr.. Dalton's forthcoming alb
sence she would take her friend in hand
and doctor her.
At dinner-time Edith, watching her,
saw the evident effort made by the
young wife to appear cheerful and easy,
and was surprised that Mr. Dalton did
not seem to be aware that anything was
wrong.
L certainly shall not enlighten him. "
she declared to herself. ':but [ will see
what L can do with Lucy when he is
r gone. Ignorance Is bliss in sucb a case
as this. Why, he would fret himself
TO hdle-strlngs if he Thought she were
When the morning arrived which wit
messed Mr.. Daltons departure 70 H.
north, Edith noticed more than euo,.
that her friend was laborney nd, IL eseI
emotion which was not nnconnaotaJ sJ'ile nc
it seemed to her, with excitement %
Edith withdrew to let the couriIo Co.,
farewell. As she went into the draW;p p"y
room, her thoughts flew for the first
time to her father and his marriaga
scheme.
81 suppose L had better write and tell